Kiln.



c. w. B OWSMAN. KILN.

I APPLICATION HLED JULY 12. l9l7- 1,251,333. Patented Dec. 25,1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

C. W. 'BOWSMAN.

KILN.

APPucATmM FILED JULY 12. 1917.

Patented Dec. 25, 1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2. 9

g/j/mj/zww /7// iii CHARLES W. BOWSMAN, OF JOLIET, ILLINOIS.

KILN.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec. 25, 1917 Application filed July 12, 1917. Serial No. 180,163.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. Bows- MAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of J oliet, county of Will, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Kilns, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to kilns and more particularly to kilns for baking brick of the vitreous type.

In kilns or ovens of this class, considerable time and labor are necessary in overhauling and renovating the structure periodically, owing to the burning-out and sagging or spreading of the flue walls. Also in kilns of the well-known and common types, it is necessary to consume a large quantity of fuel for the reason that it usually requires from seven and one-half'to nine days to burn out or finish a setting of bricks in each kiln. By the use of my improvedand novel structure, I am enabled to run a kiln for a longer period before repairs are necessary and suchrepairs as may be requisite are oniy about fifty per cent. of

those heretofore required on the well-known types of kilns. I am also enabled to economize the amount of fuel consumed and labor I required, owing to the fact that the product turned out by my improved structure is finished and ready for use in between four and five days, while the fuel consumption per diem during the period of baking is the same or sometimes less than required per diem'on other types.

Among the objects of my invention is the provision of a flue for a brick kiln that is adapted to automatically distribute the heat within the kiln so that bricks set or piled adjacent the peripheral or outer wall or inclosing structure of .the kiln receive approximately the same amount and degree of heat as those grouped about the center of.

the structure. 1 Another object is the provision of a flue for brick kilns that is con structed so that the opposite walls thereof are supported and braced and thereby pre-- vented from sagging or spreading. And

other objects comprise the provision of a' kiln fluethat is'easy to set up and compar atively inexpensive to manufacture so that:

it will not materially add to the initial cost of the structure and is much easier and less expensive to repair; that is extremely economical to maintain and operate; and which is simple in construction. I prefer to ac complish the. divers objects in the manner hereinafter described. Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings that. form a part of the specification, wherein,-. Figure I is a central section, somewhat diagrammatic, of a brick kiln, showing my improvements incorporated therein. Fig. 2 is a plan of .the foundation and layout of a brick kiln constructed in this manner. I

, Fig. 3 is a plan of a flue cover. a

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal central section of my improved flue.

Fig. 5 is a section on line 55, of Fig. 4. Referring to the drawings, wherein similar reference numerals indicate the same parts'throuiqhout the, figures, it will be observed the kiln proper preferably comprises a dome-shaped structure 10. built of suitable masonry, a stack 11 forithe discharge of the products of combustion from said struc ture, suitable fire boxes 12 arranged within the sjtructurelO and having feed openings, on the exterior thereof. and a tunnel or large flue 13 leading from the central portion of the kiln tothe stack 11, ,The parts thus briefly described form no part of my invention, but'eomprise in a general way, the elements of a typicalbrick or like kiln, which is well-known to thoseskilled in this art. ISuitable' radial flues extend from the inside of the wall of the structure 10 to and discharge into the tunnel 13, adjacent the inner end ofthe latter. These flues are con: structed substantially in; the manner illus trated in Figs. 3,4 and 5 of the drawings. It willlbe observed these flues-preferably comprise parallel vertical walls, 20, 2O arising from a suitable foundationin the bot tom of the kiln and whieh" are separated fro'm each other a distance sufiieient to provide a longitudinally elongated space or passagewayQl between the inner surfaces ofsaid walls. A'suitable cover 22 is disposed upon the upper surfaces of these walls 20 and provided with transverse slots or-ports '23, down through which the heated products of combustion are adapted to pass to the flue chamber 21, from which latter they are drawn off through the tunnel 13 and discharged into the stack. 4 The cover 22, above alluded to, preferably comprises fire brick slabs 24, of square or other rectangular shape, that are spaced from each other a distance corresponding to the width of the slots 23 by means of filler blocks 25. The upper surface of the cover 22 is in the same horizontal plane with and-is adapted to form a portion of the floor of the kiln when the structurehas been erected.

In order to balance the heat distribution, or, in other words, to equally draw off the heated products of combustion through the slots or flue ports 23, I prefer to incline the bottom of the flue chambers 21 downward from the outer ends thereof toward the cen; ter of the kiln, where the flues discharge into the tunnel.

and extending from end to end thereof and from one side wall to the other. The inclination of thisfiue bottom is such that the dimensions of a cross-section of the same,

taken at a flue port '23, will be equal to the .7 to repair these wallsQO, but the reconstruction necessary to accomplish this needcnot extend below the upper surface of the inclined way 26. Thus it will be seen that approximately one-half of each of the walls ,is

protected and strengthenedso that they will not require repair work done on them.

I have found'it desirable, though not es.-

sential" tothefloperation of my improved.

flue, to provide a checker 7 10,1? brace 27,

V --tha t is adapted-to be disposed.transversely ,7 cut keystone shape and fitted into suitable of the fine chamber'at one fourth' of the length of. the. flue away from the inner r or'j discharge end thereof. This checkerwmay be in theform of a slab recesses, orpockets 28, made opposite each. otherin, the ,walls of the flue, into which the keystone may be readily fitted. This is for the purpose of checking the draft in the flue.

adjacent the tunnel aswell as to. strengthen and re inforce thewalls of the flues at a point ,Wherejthey are most liable to. sag for we e C ltiwillbe obvious to others skilled in this art that changes of the structure disclosed herein may. be madewithOll mat rially dep rt afiw t e Pri c p esmag d r $01116 other 1113111181.

' This is illustrated herein byproviding aninclined way 26 lneach flue point, approximately example: The inclined bottom 26 of the flue need not extend entirely to the bottom of the foundation walls 20 throughout its entire length, the checker 27 may be dispensed with, or the cover maybe constructed in I do not wish, there fore, to be understoodas limiting myself to the precise structure herein disclosed, and

it will be understood that such changes as above contemplated may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

What I claim is 1. In a kiln abaking chamber periph center of said baking chamber said baking.

chamber having as its only communication with said fluesrowsof slots'positioned above said flues, and a discharge tunnel, connecting with andleading from the inner ends ofsaid flues to the exterior ofsaid. baking chamber.- l i 2. In a kiln a baking chamberhaving a suitable floor, adischarge tunnel below said floor, and a plurality of flues disposed ra dially with respect. to said baking chamber and discharging into said tunnel, the crosssectional dimensions ,of which fiues progressively increase toward their discharge ends and the floor -of. said chamber being provided-with radially 'disposedseries of slots in vertical alinementwith said flues that afford the only communication between said flues and saidv chamber.

3. In a kiln a baking chamber provided with a suitable floor, means forheating said chamber, said floor being provided with vents extending throughout its. area, and means for drawing a substantially equal volume of the vented products througheach of said ventscomprising flues, each of which is of progressively increasing'capacity, into which said vents discharge. i

4. In a kiln a baking chamber, peripherally disposed combustion chambers therea for, radially disposed flues the cross-sectional area and capacity whereof progressively increase from the periphery to the center of said baking chamber, said baking chamber'having as its only communication with said flues rows of slots positionedim mediatelyabove saidflues, a discharge tunnel connecting with and leading from the inner ends of said fluesto the exterior of said baking chamber, anda baffle disposed in the upper portion of each flue adjacent the discharge end thereof.

5. In a kiln a baking chamber having a with respect to said baking chamberjand,

discharging into said tunnel, the cross-secin the upper portion of each flue adjacent tional dlmensions of which flues progresthe discharge end thereof.

10 sively increase toward their discharge ends Signed at J oliet, county of Will, and State and the floor of said chamber being proof Illinois, this 29th day of June, 1917.

5 vided with radially disposed series of slots CHARLES W. BOWSMAN.

in vertical alinement with said fiues that af- Witnesses: ford the only communication between said FRANK J. WISE, fines and said chamber, and a bafiie disposed GENEVIEVE L. DRAKE.

copies of this patent my be obtained (or ilve cents each, by addressing the commissioner of Patenta, wumnmnm. 0. 

